7 Things You Won’t Be Able to Live Without Once You’ve Lived in Alaska

From easy access to lakes and mountains to salty smoked salmon, there are many reasons to fall in love with Alaska. Here is a list of a few things you won’t be able to live without after you experience living here.

Your Next Adventure Starts Here

1. Independence

When you’re in Alaska, you feel a million miles from everything. The sensation of exploring a great unknown is always with you here, even when you’re in downtown Anchorage. It’s hard to describe, but the distance and freedom are often what people miss the most. The feeling of standing on the edge of the world, so far beyond the pale of what you knew before, is almost addictive. When you’re back home, you’ll probably find yourself itching for another adventure as soon as possible!

2. Cuisine

One word: seafood. You’ll probably never have as easy access to fresh seafood as you do in Alaska. The bountiful waters of Alaska provide King Crab, salmon, halibut, pike, trout and oysters to the plates of the finest restaurants in the world. But it never tastes as good as it does when it’s caught right off shore from where you stand. You’ll also miss being able to polish off your meal with your favorite craft beer from one of Alaska’s many independent breweries. And you’ll miss reaching for a handful of wild berries when you want dessert.

3. People

It’s true—Alaska is chalk full of rugged individuals. But for a state where most people enjoy solitary hobbies or remote living, it sure is a great place to make friends!
You’ll miss all the kooky characters you met here when you leave. From salt-of-the-earth old timers to co-workers from around the world to off-the-grid mountain men, Alaska is home to all types. People here are friendly, easy to get to know, and above all fascinating. You’ll spend a lot of time thinking about the friends you made here when you leave. But at least you’ll have some great stories for your old friends back home!

4. Huskies

Alaska is famously home to the Iditarod, commonly referred to as the “last great race on Earth.” The sled dog tradition runs a lot deeper than just one race, though. Up here, huskies are a way of life. You’ll get used to seeing these adorable snow dogs around town or even in their summer training. Alaska is the perfect home for big dogs with thick coats. When you’re back in the Lower 48, every purebred French Bulldog and dainty Pomeranian you see will remind you of the slobbery outdoor pups up north.

5. Opportunity

The second-to-last state admitted entry to the Union is a land of opportunity for many. Alaska has a per capita income that bests states like California, Illinois, Colorado and Washington. The energy, fishing and tourism sectors continue to prosper and entice the rest of the world to Alaska’s shores. We began our history as gold mining territory, and today, you can still find some of the most enterprising people on earth in Alaska. Whether out at sea on a fishing rig or deep in the woods trapping furs, nowhere else has the same industrious energy as Alaska.

6. Landscape

The tallest mountain in America? Check. The easternmost and westernmost state in America? Check. Larger than all but sixteen sovereign nations? Check. Home to 3.5 million lakes, plus beautiful glaciers, bays, forests and vistas? Check!

When you think about what you’re going to miss the most, it might be the land itself. There’s so much of Alaska to see, and the spectacular becomes almost ordinary here. There aren’t many views in the Lower 48 that will even rival what you see out the car window here.

7. Animal Life

And of course, how could we forget the animals? Alaska is brimming with life, whether you look at the woods, the sky, the water, or even your backyard. You’ll grow accustomed to the presence of large game such as moose, bears, caribou, and reindeer. The site of a bald eagle circling overhead will seem status quo. In the late summer, streams everywhere will run red with salmon. The animals here are hard to bid goodbye, and every time you look at the ocean after you depart, you might catch yourself searching for the blowhole of an orca in the distance.

Of course, if you’re too heartbroken when you leave Alaska, you can always come back! Many Alaska Tour Jobs employees return year after year.